Domestic violence prosecutions in Rockford secure 81% conviction rate

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — According to the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office, domestic violence accounted for 44% of all violent crimes in Rockford last year. But, new data shows prosecutors secured convictions in 81% of the cases.

State’s Attorney J. Hanley said his office began tracking the outcomes of domestic violence court cases last year.

“We have to start telling a better story of the efforts that we’re doing. In addition, I also knew that once we started measuring it, that we’d start improving on it. And that’s kind of exactly what happened,” he said.

The State’s Attorney’s Office’s Supervising Attorney Alex Ronning said, “There are a lot of tools for domestic violence prosecutors, tools that weren’t being used that were available to us in our prosecutions that we began using about 14 months ago. And we wanted to see how that bore out in the courtroom and if they were successful or helpful in our prosecutions.”

“You can devote more resources to something, but if you don’t have a clear plan on how those resources are going to actually make the prosecutions better, it’s just really throwing more resources at an issue,” Hanley explained. “We talk specifically about evidence-based prosecutions, about what tools we needed, how staffing could lead to better results. And then as we’ve talked about, then we measure it, you know, how are we doing and how can we continue to improve.”

The data is shared with the State’s Attorney’s community partners through the Rockford Mayor’s Office on Domestic and Community Violence Prevention.

Deputy Director Andrea Carlson said, “I think we’re really starting to see some impact in our community. And the fact that these entities are turning the focus and energy on this matter, which significantly impacts our community, is it’s hopeful to me and I hope it’s helpful to survivors who are yearning for that safety and justice.”

An upcoming pilot program will install three advocates in the UW Health Swedish American Hospital’s emergency room to provide support services and referrals for survivors of domestic violence.

If you are a survivor of domestic or sexual violence, visit our Stateline Strong page for resources.

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